Watch: Harmanpreet Kaur bursts into tears after ex-captain Anjum Chopra's gesture following India's loss to Australia

Harmanpreet Kaur was an ocean of emotions while walking back to the pavilion after getting run-out for a well-made 52 off 34 balls in the semi-final of the Women's T20 World Cup against Australia. Anger, frustration, disappointment, disbelief, anxiety, nervousness, sensibility, responsibility - she was feeling everything in one go. She knew this could possibly be the decisive event of the match. And it was. The moment Alyssa Healy whipped the bails off, the Indian captain felt the world crashing down. Her bat got stuck inches before the popping crease. She could blame her luck or herself for just taking the last few steps of the run gingerly, but she could not change her faith.

As the giant screen at the Newlands in Cape Town flashed 'OUT' in red, Harman flung his bat into the air in disgust. She was furious but the fact that the match is still not lost crept in. She had the calms to offer words of encouragement to in-coming batter Deepti Sharma even when a storm was brewing inside her. It was too much to control. She once again slammed her bat while climbing the dressing room stairs.

India were cruising, needing just 41 runs off 33 balls with six wickets in hand when Harmanpreet's unfortunate run-out, which had the same sinking feeling as MS Dhoni's dismissal in the 2019 men's World Cup semi-final, took place.

Richa Ghosh was dismissed in the next over which yielded only 1 run. The required rate started climbing, and Deepti Sharma could not find the boundaries. India crumbled under pressure once again, losing yet another knockout match to Australia in the last over. This time by five runs, while chasing 173.

In all the outflow of emotions, the one thing Harmanpreet resisted was tears. She even turned up for the post-match presentation in shades, perhaps not to let anyone see her eyes, who were not obeying her commands of remaining dry. The right-handed batter did her best but the deadlock broke when former India captain Anjum Chopra walked towards her and hugged her.

Tears started flowing through Harmanpreet's eyes as Anjum held the Indian captain for a long time. Teammate Harleen Deol, who was not a part of the playing XI, tried her best to wipe the tears off her captain's face.

Watch Video: Harmanpreet Kaur cries inconsolably after Anjum Chopra hugs her post India's defeat to Australia in World Cup semi-final

It was pure, raw emotions. When asked about the incident and her gesture after the match, Anjum said she was just trying to "lessen the sorrow" as she knew what it meant for Harmanpreet, who battled fever and health issues to be fit for the semi-final, put up a great show with the bat but was unable to take her side through.

"My intention was to give the captain some empathy because that's all I can offer from the outside. It was an emotional moment for both of us. India have reached the semi-finals a lot of times and they have lost. This is not the first time I've seen Harmanpreet bat like this. I have seen her battling her injuries and health Today she might not have even played but because this was a World Cup semi-final and because she was Harmanpreet Kaur. She is not the one who takes a backward step; she will go forward and a backward step, she will go forward and she did that. Today, before the match started, she was able to bring herself to a situation where she can play. She ran around in the field for 20 overs and then while batting, she rekindled India's hopes. Of course, Jemimah Rodrigues also played her part. I can understand what Harmanpreet Kaur must be going through. It was a player-to-player moment with her. I was just trying to lessen her sorrow," Anjum said in a video posted by ICC.